Fold flat standard base and display shelf



1960 J. M. GILCHRIST, JR 2,921,692

FOLD FLAT STANDARD BASE AND DISPLAY SHELF Filed May 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IEIE-l IN VENTOR IT: El .74/ /[6 M Maw/5; J/F.

ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1960 M GILCHRIST, JR 2,921,692

FOLD FLAT STANDARD BASE AND DISPLAY SHELF Filed May 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

INVENTOR ATTORNEY J/l MES M, 671 c/m/azm.

United States Patent FOLD FLAT STANDARD LASE AND DISPLAY SHELF James M. Gilchrist, In, Atlanta, Ga. Application May 13, 1957, Serial No. 658,889 10 Claims. (Cl. 211-135) This invention relates to holding devices, and more specifically to a standard base and/or display stand having certain new and useful features which will be made clear during the progress of this specification.

Heretofore various devices for holding objects in a vertical position have been proposed, but these have contained many drawbacks, such as cost of manufacture, ditliculty of storage when not in use, complexity of assembly, et cetera.

An object of this invention is to provide a standard base which folds fiat when not in use, thereby avoiding storage problems.

Another object is to provide simplicity of structure in such a device.

Another object is to make possible economy of manufacture in a base of the instant type.

A still further object is to provide an attractive and ingenious display stand through the assembly or mounting of a plurality of such devices into a composite structure.

These and other objects made apparent hereafter are accomplished by means of my improved base and display shelf, a full understanding of which is facilitated by reference to the drawings herein, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view with the wings in folded or down position;

Fig. 2 is a side or edge view of the structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device with the wings up and the wing holding or anchoring element in place;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the structure of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side view in reduced scale showing my standard base in assembled position and carrying a flag pole and flag;

Fig. 8 is a view in horizontal cross-section taken along the line 88 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of one form of wing securing or anchoring means suggested herein, such being essentially in the form of a substantially square band;

Fig. 10 is a similar view of another such element formed from wire;

Fig. 11 is a view in perspective of one of the instant wing units separated from the rest of the base;

Fig. 12 is a side view of a plurality of the said bases 2,921,692 Patented Jan. 19, 1960 ice Referring now to the drawings, 'Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 designates the under-base of the holder, which may be of any suitable shape or contour, although the circular form shown has been found suitable or even preferable, said member being fabricated of a material with strength and other characteristics in keeping with the use for which a given standard is intended. Semirigid material such as corrugated pasteboard has been found susceptible to a wide variety of applications, although in some cases a lighter substance such 'as shirtboard for example has been found appropriate. In other cases a fully rigid material may be indicated.

A plurality of wing-like members 11 are hingedly mounted to base 10, the arrangement illustrated in the drawings embodying a self-flap 12 formed by a crease or bendure 13 in 11 and firmly mounted to 10 through conventional staples 14. It will be noted that the principle here-involved represents the employment of an off-center location of the hinges fastening the wings to the underbase, so positioned, either to the right or to the left of center that when the wings are raised to a vertical position they form a partly open (about onehalf) square above the center of the underbase. The dimensions of this opening may be predetermined to accommodate an upright of any diameter at its butt.

This is particularly true when the Wings are formed of rigid material and something in the nature of a conventional hinge (not shown) used to anchor the wings to the base, a wide degree of flexibility in adjusting the size of the central aperture then being readily achieved.

The wings may be locked in vertical position by adjusting a square or round hoop 15a or 15b of metallic material of either flat or round contour (Figs. 9 and 10) into slots 15 formed into the upper portions of said wings; or other means may be employed to efiect this purpose.

The shape of said wings is of course a matter of choice as long as such are adapted to the practice of the principles illustrated herein. This is likewise true of the materials employed to fabricate such, the same general considerations applying here as in the case of the underbase.

Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, are illustrative of a modification of the instant invention in which a plurality of standards of the type described heretofore are mounted on a suitable supporting element such as shaft 16 at spaced intervals by means of collar-like devices 17 which are held in place on 16 by winged set-screws 18, an attractive and practicable display stand thereby being provided in which the shelves thereof are freely rotatable, the entire device highly flexible, and many other advantages inherent therein.

Any appropriate holding members may of course be employed to adjust the standards or shelves to the center supporting instrumentality instead of collars 17 as shown, it only being necessary that the desired spacing and firm positioning be attained.

so mounted on a central standard as to form a display Likewise, the size of the standards employed may be varied beyond the uniform dimensions illustrated, as for example, a tapering arrangement may be utilized as by decreasing said dimensions as progressive mountings occur upwardly, this contributing both to eye appeal and the balance of the entire structure.

The number of shelves thus employed will depend upon the exigencies of a given situation, such as space requirements, strength of materials, and other factors; and is limited only by the practicalities.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the instant standard represents an economical and ingenious standard base that may be folded when not in use, yet which is. readily and easily assembled. That such is susceptible of a wide variety of uses, is simple, convenient, attractive,

and fully adapted for its intended purposes. That a I modification in which said bases are combined into a display stand has likewise been disclosed, which stand is likewise economical to manufacture, easy to assemble,

fa nd highly desirable from a commerical standpoint.

, While I have shown and described the foregoing in considerable detail insofar as one form thereof is concerned, it is understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby, but on the contrary, intend that the appended claims shall be accorded an interpretation and scope fair- 'ly in keeping with the contribution to the art.

I claim:

, 1. In a device of the character described, an underba'se member, a plurality of wing-like elements hingedly mountedto said base in oif-center relationship thereto and diagonally to one another at their tops, and means for securing said wings in vertical position with reference "to said base when in raised position, whereby a hollow socket is formed adjacent the base-center for supporting a standard or the like.

2. In a device of the character described, an underbase member, a plurality of wing-like elements hingedly mounted-on said basein oflE-center relationship thereto anddiagonally to one another at their tops, whereby a hollow socket is formed adjacent the center of the base for supporting a shaft, slots formed adjacent the tops of said wings, and a continuous anchoring member inserted in said slots for maintaining the wings'in an up right position.

3. In a device of the character described, an underbase member, a plurality of wing elements, self-flaps 'formed therein,-means for anchoring said wings in 01T- -center relationship on said base through said self-flaps base member, four wing-like elements hingedly mounted thereon in oil-center relationship same lying flat when in folded position, and means for securing said wings in a vertical plane when in raised or operative position.

' 5. 'In a device of the character described, an underbase nieinei, g pirate mounted thereon in off-center relationship to the middle 4 V V v of wing members hingedly thereof, vertical slots near-the top outer edges of the Wings, and continuous retaining elements having flat surfaces inserted in said slots for the purpose of retaining the Wings in fixed upright position when elevated from said base. f

6. In a device of the character described, a base element, aplurality of'wings'hingedly mounted 'thereonin otf-center relationship and diagonally to one another at their tops, whereby a central socketof predetermined dimensions is formed' adjacent the center of the base and at right *angles thereto, anchor receiving means formed in said wings, and means cooperating therewith for securing the wings in fixed vertical position When in use.

7. A plurality of holding devices such as recited by claim I mounted upon a central shaft to form a display stand.

8. A plurality of devices as set forth in claim 2 spacedly mounted upon a shaft to form a display stand.

9. A plurality of devices as claimed in claim 3 spacedly and revolvably mounted upon a central shaft to form a display stand.

V 10. A plurality of devices such as set forth in claim 4 spacedly mounted'upon a central supporting element to form a display stand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS r 317,175 Nauerth May 5, 1885 795,837 Hyde Aug. 1, 1905 1,758,307 Bales May 13, 1930 1,912,505 Weston June 6, 1933 2,045,614 Reynolds June 30, 1936 2,452,792 Roberts Nov. 2, 1948 2,455,025 Schroeder Nov; 30, 1948 2,459,940 Himmel Jan. 25, 1949 2,467,696 Powell Apr. 19, '1949 2,838,818 7 Brennan June 17,1958 

